TOYS, ACCESSORIES, MISCELLANY

LEGO Life of George

This is a clever mashup of LEGO, an iOS device with a camera (iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, iPhone 3Gs, iPod touch 4th Generation or iPad 2), and something like Pictionary. You're given an image that you have to recreate using the included LEGO bricks, while a timer tracks your time. When you finish, you take a picture of your creation for the app to check for accuracy. You can also create your own models, so you're not just limited to what the game includes. Great for kids (or the kids-at-heart) who have their own 4th gen iPod touches or parents who are cool with letting them play with the household devices. The box has the LEGOs and the mat for taking photos, and the app is available as a free download.

Doctor Who 11th Doctor's Diecast Sonic Screwdriver

We won't deny that the Ars Orbiting HQ is outfitted with at least one Sonic Screwdriver. But our plastic collectible, light-up, sound-making screwdrivers seem to have been outdone by this new die-cast model, which takes being a Doctor Who fan to another level by working as…wait for it…a real screwdriver! It's "great for time travel or just basic chores around the house," ThinkGeek promises, noting the inclusion of Phillips and flat-head screwdriver tips. We can't think of any more useful tool to have around the house. After all, what if your collectible Tardis breaks and you need to peer inside the Time vortex? You'd feel pretty silly if your screwdriver wasn't sonic.

My Robot Nation build-a-robot gift code

A new startup called My Robot Nation uses 3D printers to generate robot figurines. Users can design their own robot with the company's browser-based WebGL robot construction tool and then have a printed model shipped directly to their home. Just in time for the holidays, My Robot Nation has launched a gift code program so that you can give the build-a-robot experience to your favorite robot fan.

The cost of the gift code ranges from $17.99 for a 3-inch model to $169.99 for a 6-inch model (plus $5.99 for shipping). Just make sure that your intended recipient has a WebGL-enabled browser so that they will be able to use the design tool.

Wakemate

The Wakemate is a Bluetooth accessory for mobile devices that you wear on your wrist. Supposedly, it can measure where you are in your sleep cycle and use the data it collects to compute the optimal time to wake up feeling refreshed (You give it a 20-minute window for it to wake you up and it chooses the best time within that window). It also collects a variety of data, which is uploaded to the Wakemate website for subsequent analysis. And it gives you a "sleep score." I was skeptical when we received one as a gift last Christmas, but my wife now swears by it. She says it helps her wake up refreshed, and she loves having detailed data about past nights' sleep. We have the iOS version, but it's also supposed to work with Android and BlackBerry.

Little Things

Little Things

Expect big fun from Little Things. This iOS "hidden shape" game has you tracking down peace symbols, golf clubs, sharks, and hundreds of other objects from a jumble of tiny shapes. Find your objects fast enough and win a puzzle piece; win enough pieces, and assemble a puzzle to move on to the next level. Everything about the program oozes quality, and it's near-perfect family entertainment on an iPad (my 2 and 5 year olds both love it). Even better, developer KlickTock promises a sequel by the end of the year, one that runs on Macs, PCs, iPads, and iPhones.

Mighty Bright book light

For the last few months, my bedtime reading has been the complete collection of Sherlock Holmes tales, which frankly are far better than I remember and more fun than they have any right to be. I read both in a beat-up hardback version and on the Kindle, depending on whichever is nearest; in either case, I need a reading light that won't blind, wake, or annoy my better half. I've settled on the dual-LED Mighty Bright, which does an admirable job of flooding both sides of the the hardback and which does great things for the Kindle's text. I haven't changed the batteries yet, and cycling between one and two LEDs is simple. An inexpensive, practical gift for the book lover or e-Ink user.

Portal 2 Plush Turret with sound

Is there anything a Portal fan loves and hates more than a turret? We submit that there is not, especially after that killer Portal 2 ending. This little guy can both see and feel motion and will react with appropriate phrases, such as "target acquired" or "I don't hate you." He won't shoot, so you can even hug him in the lonely times. If there were some Easter Egg phrases from the Prometheus turret buried in there too, it would be a true holiday miracle.

Astrolabe watch

Multifunction watches have come back in style, but why get someone a cheap Casio calculator watch when you could get them one that tracks the movement of space? Astrolabes are used to show how the night sky looks at a particular date and time, so this watch lets your giftee follow the stars, moon, and planets from their wrist. Also, when not monitoring the heavens, you can find out boring things like the current hour, minute, and second.

Amazon Prime membership

$79 seems like a steep price to pay just to be able to get free two-day shipping, but it's been a game-changer for many of the Ars staff members who tell Amazon once a year to shut up and take their money. Whether your Amazon product is large or small, $500 or 50 cents, with Prime shipping it will arrive in two days for no extra charge. We also find that, often as not, the deliveries end up being shipped overnight rather than two days.

You may wonder what you would ever buy from Amazon that you couldn't get from a store within two days, and the answer is: everything. Halloween costumes, pens, condiments, and shelving units are just a few of the things we've had brought right to our doors in two days. The only person who loses in this scenario is the delivery man who has to be at your door every day with a new tiny box.

Prime users also get access to Amazon's huge new streaming video library, and they even get a free e-book to read each month if they own a piece of Kindle hardware.

Solder:Time DIY watch kit

With this kit, amateur and experienced solderers alike can created a timepiece of their very own to adorn their wrists. The soldering iron and solder are not included, but it's an easy project to get started with if your giftee is looking to get into the wonderful world of metal manipulation (adafruit also sells starter electronics kits with soldering equipment.).

The Solder:Time was introduced at Maker Faire this year and was an instant hit. The creators also note that if your wrist is otherwise occupied, the Solder:Time also makes a great desk clock, pocket watch, or timely badge.

Chaostle

Chaostle is a three-dimensional board game where players lead their armies through a castle in order to conquer the Kind or Queen. It sounds purely strategic, like chess, but the creators include many "fates" in the game that may aid you in executing your plans—or make everything go awry. The game has an entire backstory and characters including an archmage, dragon slayer, elven archer, and minotaur. Ideal for fantasy and board game enthusiasts.

TREASURES FROM THE VAULT

The Ghost of Christmas Past culled these favorite suggestions from past gift guides. They're not brand-spanking-new, but they are still awesome.

Gorillapod

Gorillapods were made for users on the go. Who wants to haul around a whole tripod setup if you're going hiking, down to the beach, or to another casual activity that doesn't involve weighing yourself down with tons of equipment? The original Gorillapod is great for most consumer cameras, but there are other Gorillapods made for mobile phones, SLRs, video cameras, and more if you have a special use-case. Better yet, the legs can bend and wrap around things, so they're even more flexible than a standard tripod—you can bend and flex them to work with nearly any surface and get the perfect shot. This is a great gift for the photo, video, or travel freak in your life.

Teach the Controversy clothing

This clothing line features the classics, like a shirt that puts the earth at the center of the Universe, and another that celebrates the alchemy that turns lead to gold. It's also got some modern myths, like UFOs building the pyramids and Elvis staggering through his retirement. But the name of the line is derived from the rallying cries of the people who consider some of the basics of biology controversial.

And the line skewers them, mercilessly. Satan is seen burying dinosaur bones as an early farmer plows the field behind a triceratops. On another shirt, the four-billion-year-old Earth celebrates its 6,000th birthday. If you're not sure whether to laugh or cry at some of this nonscientific nonsense, these shirts make a strong case for laughing.

Citizen Men's Skyhawk A-T Titanium watch

This the ultimate geek watch in the sub-$1,000 range. No, seriously. Not only is it made of titanium, and not only does it contain a multiband radio receiver that automatically synchronizes it to the local time via the atomic time radio signal in the US, Europe, and Japan, but its outer dial is a slide rule. It also features a 24-hour chronograph, pre-programmed support for 43 cities and time zones, a 99-minute countdown timer, 200-meter water resistance, an LCD backlight... and it's solar-powered. Sure, with an $850 list price (a little over $630 retail at most outlets), it's one of the more expensive items in the guide. But in terms of quality it's comparable to much pricier watches, making it a relative bargain.

They Live

Cribbing plot points from Baudrillard and Guy Debord long before the Wachowskis made it cool, John Carpenter's They Live takes literally the conspiracy theorist's dream of "seeing through" the façade of consensus reality. A pair of special glasses shows Roddy Piper's Joe Sixpack protagonist a hidden world of subliminal brainwashing messages and alien infiltrators, concealed by the hypnotic power of mass media. (And yes, it's that Roddy Piper.) Carpenter's stark aesthetic would later inspire Shepard Fairey's ubiquitous "OBEY" giant—and therefore, indirectly, the iconic Barack Obama "HOPE" poster (which, after you've seen the film, will seem incredibly creepy). Also, when the Academy decides to start awarding a Samwise Gamgee Memorial Prize for Homoerotic Subtext, Piper and blue-collar brawler bud Keith David will be clear favorites for the first statuette.

Plush Tribbles

The trouble with tribbles is that they are too cute to resist, but the immense rate at which they breed makes the little buggers a serious environmental menace. Fortunately, these adorable plush robotic tribbles won't eat or reproduce. Fill them up with batteries and they will make chirping sounds. They're the perfect gift for a Star Trek enthusiast, and they can also be used as a security device to detect covert Klingon operatives.

Keurig Single Cup Coffee Brewer

If you make a whole pot of coffee, you might drink it. This is bad for you. So why not make a cup at a time, on demand, and mix it up a bit? You really can't beat the convenience of the Keurig single cup system: pop in the sealed pack, and you're done. That way, each day I rock some Newman's Extra Bold, some Green Mountain French Vanilla, and some Half-Caff. You can even use a DIY brewing basket, and use regular coffee. The coffee is good, and by my calculations comes out to about $0.50 cents a cup. For someone like me who would otherwise buy at least one Dunkin' Donuts or Starbucks a day, I save money. I splurged for the Elite version, which is more expensive, but can make 16 oz. cups. Seriously, after the war, I'll be searching the Capitol Wasteland for all the K-Cups I can find. I love it.

CatCam

If you have not yet heard about Mr. Lee's CatCam, go read about it immediately. Basically, this guy built a portable camera and attached it to his outdoor cat so that it would take photos automatically throughout the day, and when the cat returned home, he downloaded the pictures to see what the cat (Mr. Lee) had been up to. Turns out, this cat is a professional photographer. And, even more amazingly, everyone else's cats are pro photogs too. Who knew? The CatCam is becoming a phenomenon, and everyone who has a cat is dying to try it, so what are you waiting for?

Logitech G19 Gaming Keyboard

For the PC gamer that spent their entire budget on a rocking tower and skimped on the keyboard, the G19 is a solid gift choice. It has many features that may appear gimmicky, but turn out to be dead useful.

One of the standout features is the small LCD at the top of the keyboard. It works natively with many games, including older ones like Crysis and Battlefield 2142 and newer games that release separate mods, like World of Warcraft and BioShock 2. The LCD can display vital in-game stats, though many players seem to like it simply because it displays a clock in absence of game data, to keep them on track during long full-screen sessions. 12 programmable macro keys run down the side, media buttons surround the LCD screen, the wrist rest is detachable, and the whole thing is gently backlit with light of your choosing.

Agloves

A couple of seasons ago we recommended capacitive thread as a gift, which could be sewn into the tips of gloves to allow access to touch screens. Now Agloves allow you to give the gift of never having to hold one glove in your teeth while texting as your hand slowly turns numb from cold—with no sewing required.

Agloves have the same kind of capacitive thread woven throughout, so the wearer will have no need to expose their hands to freezing cold to send a text message or flip a page on an e-reader. The gloves should work with any capacitive touchscreen on a smartphone, tablet, or camera, and come in any color you like, so long as it's charcoal gray.